Running News Daily
Top Ten Stories of the Week
5/16/2020
These are the top ten stories based on views over the last week.
Scottish runners now are allowed to run more than once a day
Scottish runners hoping for some relief from the restrictions of lockdown – formally extended a further three weeks last Thursday (7 May) – got some unexpected good news at the weekend.
While First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was at pains to emphasise last night (Sunday, 10 May) that ‘Stay at Home’ remains unequivocally the Scottish government’s message to citizens – despite a shift in that of the UK government to ‘Stay Alert’ – one small but significant change has been made to the restrictions we’ve all had to live with for the last 49 days.
From Monday, Scots will be allowed to run – or take any exercise outside – more than once a day.
In line with previous regulations, that exercise should still be taken close to home; group exercise or training, with people not from one’s own household, remains forbidden, and parks are still to be used only for exercise.
With the UK and Scottish governments increasingly taking different views on how best to manage and combat Coronavirus, it’s no surprise the situation for runners in England is different: the much anticipated gradual easing of restrictions on outdoor activity outlined in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s own Sunday night address only apply there.
From Wednesday, runners south of the border will be able to take unlimited exercise, and have been very explicitly granted permission to drive to do so. English parks can also be used once again for leisure, sport or sunbathing, but either alone or with members of one’s own household.
Social distancing regulations – keeping 2m away from those not in one’s own household – still applies to all runners across the UK.
There was no word from either the Scottish or UK government on when any sort of public gatherings – like training sessions, group runs or races – might again be permitted.
But with Boris Johnson speaking about some hospitality and ‘other public places’ opening in July at the earliest, and providing several stringent conditions are met, life returning to normal for runners seems unlikely soon.
(05/12/20) Views: 612
The Riga Marathon could be a virtual run for 2020
The Riga Marathon, has appealed to runners to take part in a virtual race on the date of its postponed event.
“Just like you, we are very eager to celebrate running and keep the spirit of marathon alive, even it is not possible together in person,” said the organisers.
Runners are invited to go for a family run on May 16, or to run their chosen distance of marathon, half marathon or anything else on May 17.
Depending on the restrictions set in the country, the participants will run, adapting to the new reality, or virtually if Covid-19 restrictions remain in place, the organizers of the event indicate.
"It is not possible to predict the development of the pandemic and the restrictions that will be in place in the autumn, however, we have decided to run this year on October 10-11," comments Aigars Nords, the director of the Riga Marathon.
"If the restrictions are completely lifted, the Riga Marathon will take place with a scope appropriate to an anniversary edition. If the restrictions remain in force, we will adapt by introducing creative innovations that will allow the anniversary marathon to run smoothly, following the instructions of epidemiologists.
For the first time in the history of the event, the marathon could also take place virtually, offering participants the opportunity to run the distance individually, recording the distance and time in a specially created application," he points out.
The Riga Marathon has been held annually since 1991.
(05/10/20) Views: 451
On May 14, British Columbia will reopen provicional parks
British Columbia has announced that phase two of the province’s four phase return will begin mid-May, and will include the reopening of provincial parks for day use (on May 14), along with small social gatherings.
This is very good news for runners as they’ll be able to access their favourite trails and maybe even recruit a training partner or two.
B.C.’s parks and trails have been closed since late March. According to the provincial government, B.C. residents could almost double the number of social contacts they have currently and still maintain flat transmission rates. Phase two also includes the ability to visit healthcare professionals like physiotherapists, chiropractors and counsellors.
Gatherings of over 50 people remain banned for the foreseeable future, which includes professional sports and concerts.
While the province remains a long way from a complete return to normalcy, these developments are encouraging news. The province’s runners will be able to achieve a level of relative normal, just in time for the nice weather.
So on May 14, gather one or two running buddies and hit your local trails for your first group run of the spring.
(05/12/20) Views: 144Madeleine Kelly
Dilemma for Women's world marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei to defend Chicago or London titles
World marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei is in dilemma on which race to participate in come October.
The London Marathon was postponed from April to October 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile the Chicago Marathon is scheduled for October 11.
Kosgei would love to run both Majors but she is certainly not a superwoman and must choose one.
According to the Kapsait-based athlete, she was in good shape in March and looking forward to the season before Covid-19 outbreak struck leading to the suspension of the athletics calendar.
“My preparations for the London Marathon race where I was going to defend my title were in top gear because I had less than two months to finalise my programme before coronavirus disrupted it,” said Kosgei at her home.
She was also named in the Kenya marathon team to the Olympic Games which were postponed to next year due to the virus.
She said that her programme had been all geared towards defending her title in London race then preparing for an assault on Tokyo Olympics gold.
“But now I have to wait for to next year. I believe I will still be in good shape to run and win the race,” said Kosgei, who is under Rosa Associati management.
With five months to go before the London and Chicago marathons are held Kosgei has all the time to decide as she picks up on her training.
She is currently training individually in Eldoret, following the government directives of social distancing. “When the camps were closed, the only thing possible was to training a lone. So I am doing that here in Eldoret, but how I miss competitive running. I cannot wait for things to return to normal,” she said.
She has also been tending to her five-acre potato farm in Kapsait, with the help of her husband Mathew Kosgei whom she says has been very supportive of her career.
Kosgei won last year’s prestigious London Marathon with a time of 2:18:20 ahead of compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot who clocked 2:20:14 while Ethiopia’s Rosa Dereje was third in 2:20:51.
She broke the women’s marathon record in Chicago last year clocking 2 hours, 14 minutes and 04 seconds.
She is optimistic of lowering her personal best in the near future.
(05/08/20) Views: 91Bernard Rotich
Two elite athletes Mary Cain and Nick Willis sign with Tracksmith as full-time employees
Tracksmith, the independent running apparel brand out of Boston, announced its newest pair of partner athletes: Mary Cain and Nick Willis. This is not a traditional partnership, though, as Cain and Willis will both be working as full-time employees for the company in addition to running for the brand.
The duo will represent Tracksmith as they both work toward the Tokyo Olympic Games, which are set for July 2021, and they will do it as amateurs, a term that Tracksmith is looking to reclaim for everyone who loves to run.
In a post entitled “For the love” on the Tracksmith website announcing the brand’s newest partnership, founder and CEO Matt Taylor talks about the word “amateur,” which comes from Latin roots meaning “to love” and “I love.”
Taylor says “amateur” only recently became a term for non-professionals (around the 19th century or so), and now the team at Tracksmith wants to take the term back to its roots and refer to anyone who loves to run as “amateurs.”
In sports, athlete sponsorships are always dictated by results, and the better an athlete performs, the stronger their brand partnerships become. On the other hand, if their results start to decline, it’s not uncommon to see these relationships deteriorate and disappear.
This won’t be the case for Cain and Willis, because, working as Tracksmith employees and representing the brand as amateurs, they will have “the freedom to participate in the sport with no expectations or pressures outside of the ones they place on themselves.”
Cain made international headlines in November when she told the New York Times about the abuse she sustained while running with the Nike Oregon Project (NOP) under now-banned coach Alberto Salazar. Cain won gold in the 3,000m at the the world junior championships in 2014 before leaving the NOP a year later. In 2020, she returned to racing for the first time since 2016, and she is now working toward making her first U.S. Olympic team.
Cain’s official role at Tracksmith is New York community manager, and she will help grow the company’s “on-the-ground and virtual efforts in one of the most vibrant running scenes in the world.”
Willis, who’s 37 years old, tweeted he was leaving Adidas on Sunday, and there was some speculation that he might be retiring. Today, he tweeted again, saying, “I’m not retiring; I’m turning amateur.” Willis is a two-time Olympic medallist for New Zealand, having won silver in the 1,500m in Beijing in 2008 and bronze in the same event eight years later in Rio.
Willis is quoted on the Tracksmith site, saying, “It may sound counterintuitive, but I always discovered that my running career thrived the most when I embraced more. My best years, my fastest times, all emerged from times in my life when my running came, well, second.”
He’ll be looking to qualify for his fourth Olympics in 2021 while working as the athlete experience manager at Tracksmith, building programs to “inspire, motivate and deepen our community’s connection to the sport.”
(05/13/20) Views: 81Ben Snider-McGrath
Sebastian Coe says that children will need more access to sport in post-pandemic world
Children will need more access to sport in the post-pandemic world and there is a pressing need to press authorities to stop school sports “withering on the vine”, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said on Friday.
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the sporting calendar across all disciplines and levels from school to professional.
Coe told Reuters he was planning to launch a campaign to protect the long-term future of athletics when the global lockdowns and cancellations end.
“I want our sport to be a campaigning sport and if we are not about young people and access to the sport we might as well pack up and go home,” the 63-year-old said.
“I am not going to be shy or pussy foot around this any longer. This has to be addressed and this has to be the long-term thinking when we come out of this.”
A healthier population would be better placed to weather future storms like the coronavirus outbreak, Coe added.
“We have got to hit this hard now. We have get into education departments and we can’t let politicians talk a good game about this and not deliver,” Coe said.
“The very fact that any child in the UK is 50% less likely to be active between the age of eight and nine, and 12 and 13, is wrong. It just cannot be right. Whichever way you view that, that has to be wrong,” he added.
(05/13/20) Views: 59
Berlin Marathon´s organizers have said they need more time to examine their options as discussions continue on whether the race will take place in 2020
SCC Events had previously announced that the World Marathon Major would not take place on its original September 27 date, leading to many publications reporting the race as cancelled.
This was due to restrictions put in place by the local Government, which placed a ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people until October 24.
A decision is still to be made by SCC Events on this year's race, however, with further information to be released by the end of June at the latest.
Many major marathons around the world have faced a similar fate with the races in Boston and London, which are also part of the World Marathon Majors, postponed to September and October respectively.
"Due to the size of the event and the large number of people involved, we need a little more time to examine different options for this implementation of the further procedure," SCC said.
"In addition, at the moment we cannot work on the upcoming tasks in full team strength; like many others, the SCC Events team is currently on short-time work.
"Nevertheless, as usual, we put all the available energy into this process and will contact you by the end of June at the latest with details on the further procedure relating to the BMW Berlin Marathon.
"If we have new information beforehand, we will of course let you know immediately."
In Germany, there are more than 172,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 nationwide, resulting in the deaths of more than 7,600 people.
The 2018 edition of the race saw Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge smash the men's marathon world record in a time of 2 hours 1min 39sec.
This was nearly bettered by Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele last year, who was two seconds short on his way to victory.
(05/13/20) Views: 58Michael Houston
Third Rock n Roll Virtual Series Race worldwide has registered over 15,000 participants from 87 nations
The global community of walkers and runners came together for the third straight weekend with over 15,000 people from 87 nations and all 50 states stepping up to the virtual start line for Rock ‘n’ Roll VR3, the third edition in the Rock ‘n’ Roll® Virtual Running™ (VR™) Series. Rock ‘n’ Roll VR3 gave participants the opportunity to challenge themselves with two different race distances that included 8K and 15K options.
In addition, the first ever virtual Remix Challenge was offered giving participants who took on both distances a chance to earn access to three medals through the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Finisher Bundles. Participants were able to compete anywhere, indoors or outdoors, as long as the distance of their choosing was completed in one session between Friday, May 8 at 2 p.m. ET and event close Sunday, May 10 at 7:59 p.m. ET.
Participants in Rock ‘n’ Roll VR3 came from around the world and ranged in age from 18 to 82. The United States led the way with over 9,000 walkers and runners followed by Canada (over 700), the United Kingdom (over 650), Mexico (over 350) and Spain (over 200). Other nations represented included Australia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Japan, and Malaysia, among others.
Of the 50 U.S. states represented, the greatest number came from California, followed by Texas, Florida, Virginia and Washington. Nations joining a Rock 'n' Roll VR event for the first time were, Barbados, Cameroon, India, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay, among others.
Over 8,000 participants took on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club™ Challenges leading up to Rock ‘n’ Roll VR3. Participants embarked on several separate running and workout challenges with the opportunity for rewards in the comfort of their own community. The challenges included the SiS Challenge 1: Tempo Run, a 55 Minute Tempo Workout; Community Challenge 3: Aleks' "Don't Miss the Beep" Challenge, a 50 Minute Interval Run in one session; and Brooks Challenge 2: #FindSomeRunHappy II: 60 minutes of running over 2 sessions with some ideas on how to #RunHappy. Special prizes such as a pair of Rock ‘n’ Roll Launch 7 by Brooks Running Company sneakers, a $100 gift card to Science in Sport, and a Rock ‘n’ Roll Tie Dye Trio bundle were all awarded out. In total, over 30,000 runners and walkers from across the globe have joined the Rock ‘n’ Roll® Virtual Running Club platform to date, giving them access to a series of weekly races, challenges, and rewards.
This week, Rock ‘n’ Roll VR4 will offer two distances for the global community, including an 5K and 12K. Racing begins on Friday, May 15 at 2 p.m. ET and concludes on Sunday, May 17 at 7:59 p.m. ET. The virtual Remix Challenge returns for a second straight week for participants who want to take on both of this weekend’s race distances of a 5K and 12K can earn access to three medals. In addition, participants who complete each of the Remix Challenges for races RnRVR3 through RnRVR6, will have the opportunity to purchase a special RnRVR6 finisher bundle that not only includes the Remix Challenge medal, but also a celebratory ENCORE medal to commemorate their success.
(05/12/20) Views: 57
Nike will be donating 30,000 pairs of shoes to frontline workers fighting Covid-19
Nike is donating 30,000 pairs of shoes — specifically designed for healthcare workers — to health systems and hospitals in cities across the United States.
The Air Zoom Pulse, which was released in November 2019, is the company's "first shoe designed for the healthcare athlete, an everyday hero," Nike said in its announcement on Monday.
The company went to OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Oregon, to study those in the profession. They took into account the challenges of those on the job — including long hours on their feet and liquid spills — and the comfort needed for long shifts.
Nike (NKE) partnered with Good360, a non-profit specializing in efficient distribution of product donations, to help deliver the shoes to workers in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, and New York City, and within the Veterans Health Administration, according to Nike.
The company said health care workers in New York City and Los Angeles will also receive about 95,000 pairs of soccer socks offering mild compression.
"The effort is led by messages of gratitude to healthcare professionals," Nike said in its release. "From one athlete to another, Nike athletes recognize the physical and mental resilience of healthcare athletes."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his appreciation for the sportswear company.
"Thank you so much for supporting our front line health care heroes," he wrote on Monday.
Hospitals across Europe — including Barcelona, Berlin, London, Milan, Paris and Belgium — will receive an additional 2,500 pairs, Nike said.
More than 3.5 million cases of the novel coronavirus, including at least 251,000 deaths, have been recorded worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Nike's donation comes as healthcare workers continue to help battle the coronavirus pandemic, often putting themselves at risk. Many are helping patients without adequate supplies and equipment.
Nike said some of its teams came together to help create and donate full-face shields and powered, air-purifying respirator (PAPR) lenses to help protect healthcare workers.
To date, Nike and the Nike Foundation have committed more than $25 million to Covid-19 relief efforts, according to the company.
(05/12/20) Views: 56Lauren M. Johnson
George Gibbs has pledged to run 3km every day for two weeks, the equivalent of a marathon, to raise money for ChildLine Foundation
He is eight-year-old George Gibbs who started fundraising when he was just four, taking part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life.
The Linslade Lower pupil who lives in Rosebery Avenue with his motoring journalist dad Nick, PR planning executive mum Frances and little sister Addie, three, has already reached his £500 target and is now thinking of doubling it.
George and Frances set off every morning at 9am, running along the canal between the Globe bridge and Tesco bridge.
And the Year 3 schoolboy has only one complaint about his pace-setting partner: “Sometimes Mum can’t keep up with me. Otherwise she’s fine.”
Dad Nick said: “They run at roughly the same pace . . . I like to think I’m a little faster.”
He added: “George was keen to do something to help a charity during lockdown.
“We looked at various worthwhile causes and he decided on ChildLine.
“Calls have increased by 300 per cent and are from vulnerable youngsters who have no-one else to turn to.
“He wanted to help children who were not safe at home and suffering because of the current situation.”
George says he enjoys running because it makes him stronger, but this particular exercise is purely for fundraising purposes.
He normally does the 2km Junior Parkrun every Sunday held at Parson’s Close Recreation Ground.
His sporting hero isn’t the magnificent Sir Mo, but racing driver Lewis Hamilton.
And all his plans for the future involve the motoring world.
He confesses: “I want to be a car designer or a racing driver or own a car company.”
(05/13/20) Views: 55Bev Creagh
